OFFSTAGE: Tim McGraw: “Glory Days” Passed Him By

(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that’s happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

Maybe in 1985, when Tim McGraw
was a teenager, he knew all the words to Bruce Springsteen
‘s “Glory Days.” But fast forward to 2013, when McGraw was at an event to honor Springsteen, and his memory failed him. He admitted to Chelsea Handler on her show Chelsea Lately
that the event was “actually one of my great nights of my career, and one of my worst nights of my career.” McGraw and his wife Faith Hill
had performed the Boss’ “Tougher Than the Rest,” and once that was over with, he recalled feeling safe and relaxed. But not for long. Springsteen called everyone back onstage to sing “Glory Days.” Everyone being McGraw plus Sting, Elton John, Zac Brown
and others. “I can’t hide in this cowboy hat,” he said. “You don’t want to say that you don’t know the words — or you’re not sure of the words — at a function honoring somebody who’s one of your heroes.” It sounds like McGraw eventually got through the song all right — even if that second verse was a challenge.